As the weather begins to get colder, you realize that you only have a few more rides left until the motorcycle season comes to an end. Therefore, every day after work you’ve been trying to sneak in 20-minute rides around the neighborhood. You were doing pretty well and figured you had about a week left before you had to tuck your baby away in the garage. Unfortunately, your season was about to come to a dramatic close sooner than you thought.

After a long day, you were extremely excited about de-stressing with the wind in your hair as you rode down the backcountry roads. So you quickly put on your helmet, changed into your boots, and threw on a light jacket. You were just about to pull out of your driveway when a UPS truck came barreling down the road, slamming into your rear wheel and sending you flying up your neighbor’s walk.

Thankfully, your helmet protected your head as you skidded and bumped your way up the concrete. However, when you managed to stand up, you noticed a huge gash on your arm and blood seeping through your jeans. You couldn't really feel any pain, but as you rolled your jean leg up, you saw that a huge patch of skin basically had been flayed off.

Your neighbor came running out of his house with a phone to his ear. He told you he called 911 and the dispatcher would like to know how badly you have been hurt.

Since you couldn't really feel anything, you were not exactly sure. The wound looked bad, but how could you tell?

Injuries Associated With Road Rash

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that nearly 100,000 people a year are injured in motorcycle crashes. In its report, Motorcycle Crash Causes and Outcomes: Pilot Study, it suggests that 90 percent of these injuries included minor to severe cases of road rash. Road rash is the colloquial term for when your skin scrapes the ground during a crash. Although it isn’t as severe as head or spine trauma, road rash and accompanying injuries can be extremely painful and require a lot of treatment. Depending on the severity, infections and long-term damage can result without proper care.

Road rash abrasions can vary from minor cuts and scrapes to severe nerve-damaging wounds. Depending on the severity of the crash, road rash can cover up deeper injuries. This is why it is important to know the difference between minor scrapes and road rash that accompanies avulsion injuries, compression injuries, and laceration wounds.

Avulsion injuries. An avulsion injury occurs when you’re thrown off your bike or dragged underneath it, causing the outer layer of your skin to be stripped away. Underlying layers of muscle, fat, or bone can generally be seen, exposing the area to infection. The areas around the exposed tissue will often show signs of lesser road rash.

Compression injuries. A compression injury typically results when a part of your body is trapped between your bike and another object (the road, a tree, car, building, etc.). The pressure and weight of the objects on your body can cause road rash, bruising, crushing, penetrations, or severing of limbs and body parts.

Lacerations. Lacerations are scrapes and cuts requiring stitches. They are a major form of road rash that occurs when open wounds are created by scraping against a surface, often at high speeds. Stitches are required to close the open area and start healing. Although these injuries are minor compared to avulsion and compression wounds, lacerations carry a significant risk of infection due to the debris and dirt often ground into the wound.

No matter how severe your injury appears, you should always get it assessed by a medical professional. Not only can he accurately assess the severity, but he can also properly clean and treat the injury to prevent disastrous infections and prolonged pain.

Avoiding the Third Degree from Your Insurance Company

If you’ve recently suffered painful road rash or other injuries as a result of someone else’s mistake, don’t let your insurance company confuse the issue or deny you your rightful compensation. Many insurance companies will try to convince you that as the rider, you’re at fault for your own injuries and that you should have known the risks before you decided to ride. Although you should be aware of the risks, that doesn’t mean you’re automatically at fault. Contact us today to get the respect and justice you deserve, without having to deal with the insurance company’s tricks or blame.

If you were the victim of a motorcycle crash, you may be entitled to receive a much larger settlement than your insurance company is offering. Don’t settle with a small settlement; let us help you fight for what you and your injuries deserve. Call today for a free consultation and get what you deserve.

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